CLEVELAND (AP) — It took 363 days and 31 games for Travis Steele to speak in defeat in the locker room.
Now, the Miami (Ohio) coach and his team must wait an agonizing three days to find out if they make the NCAA Tournament.
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The No. 20 Redhawks became the last men’s Division I team to fall from the losing ranks on Thursday as UMass rallied in the second half to win 87-83 in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference tournament.
“It’s kind of shocking. We hate losing and our guys put in a lot of work for this. UMass does the same,” Steele said. “Not saying much. I think sometimes you have to get rid of the emotion before you can command your team. So we’ll do that when we get back to the hotel.”
Miami is the fifth team this century to go undefeated in the regular season and the first since Gonzaga in 2020-21. The Redhawks tied with St. Joseph’s, which lost to Xavier in the 2004 Atlantic 10 quarterfinals, as the only teams to finish undefeated in the conference tournament.
St. Joe’s doesn’t have to worry about its March Madness fate. Led by Jameer Nelson and Delonte West, the Eagles ended the regular season as the No. 1 team in the country and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
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Miami’s roads are even more precarious. Its schedule strength ranks No. 344 among 365 Division I teams, according to the NCAA evaluation tool.
The Redhawks have not faced any Division I teams and are 2-0 against Division II teams.
“Being undefeated means something, so I hope they can be successful,” said Grant Hill, who will serve as host of the NCAA Tournament and Final Four games for CBS and TNT Sports. “There’s a pressure on them. I think seeing them get into the tournament, they want to prove themselves against some of the bigger teams.”
The last time the MAC received two bids was in 1999. Miami received the at-large bid that year and advanced to the Sweet 16 after losing to Kent State in the tournament finals.
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UMass coach Frank Martin, who led South Carolina to the Final Four in 2017, also said Miami deserves a tournament bid.
“It would be an embarrassment. If this league didn’t have two teams in it, it would be a complete embarrassment,” Martin said.
Still reeling from the loss, Steele was in no mood to hear the news that the MAC might have two teams in the tournament.
“Frankly, I don’t care if the MAC gets multiple bids. I know the MAC probably wants that,” he said. “It’s more about putting ourselves in the best position, and I think we’ve done that. In my opinion, our guys have earned the right to play in the NCAA tournament.
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“I’m not going to let anybody occupy my mind. I’m not going to waste a second. When you got fired before (at Xavier), you just stop caring. You don’t care what other people think. You don’t have to keep all that stuff in politics, guys. I’m just telling you, I’m going to live life on my terms unapologetically.”
Miami senior Peter Suder, the MAC Player of the Year, said his team’s resume speaks for itself.
“I think we proved in the regular season that we earned a spot, but I can only control what I can control,” he said. “We’re still going to get better every day and be consistent with what we do. So we’re going to learn from this and move on to the next challenge in front of us.”
The last team to go undefeated in the regular season but fail to advance to the NCAA tournament was Alcorn State in 1978-79. That’s because the Southwest Athletics Association is in the transition period to Class A and has not automatically applied.
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Even after Thursday’s loss, many bracket experts still believe the Redhawks are on the field. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Miami taking over Auburn, and Fox Sports’ Mike DeCourcy has them in the mix.
Neither man predicted the Redhawks would make the trip to Dayton for a Final Four appearance.
“This is a legendary accomplishment and one game today didn’t change my mind,” Miami athletic director David Seiler said. “I’m sure the committee will understand that and certainly anyone who has played the game and knows the rigors of a season, going unbeaten in the league will understand that.”
UMass defeated Miami for the first time in the MAC Tournament. The Minutemen are in their first season in the Atlantic 10 after 43 years in the conference.
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Eian Elmer’s 3-pointer gave Miami a 69-58 lead with 8:33 left, but the Minutemen fought back to tie the game at 71 with 5:33 left.
The key to UMass’ victory was control of the board of trustees. The Minutemen outrebounded the Redhawks 41-24 and scored 23 points on 17 offensive rebounds.
Martin said he was more nervous heading into Thursday’s game than at any time in his 20 years as a head coach. He hopes UMass can match Xavier’s run. The Musketeers went on to win the tournament after defeating St. Joseph’s.
Martin was emotional about the game, saying after a long pause: “I’m sad for Miami, but I’m happy for our guys.”
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